Cramer: Investors Need to Remain Defensive

CNBC.com

Thursday, 9 Aug 2012 | 6:39 PM ETCNBC.com

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The Ohio Public Utilities Commission approved a plan that will allow American Electric Power Co. to raise rates through 2015. The company's CEO Nick Akins discusses the Ohio ruling, and weighs in on job creation.

In the past week, investors have been rotating out of defensive stocks and investing in more “aggressive sectors” such as technology, retail and industrials, Jim Cramer said Thursday.

“For the first time in a long time, people actually suspect that things might be getting better, not worse, both in Europe and here in the United States,” the “Mad Money” host said. “But you should still keep a parking space in your portfolio for something safe, just in case something goes wrong and we come tumbling back down.”

Cramer recommends investors consider owning shares of a utility company, citing American ElectricPower as an example. The Columbus, Ohio-based utility owns the largest electrical transmissions system in the U.S., Cramer said. It’s also one of the country’s top power generators. Needless to say, it has zero exposure to Europe’s ongoing debt crisis. Plus, its stock currently sports a juicy dividend yield of around 4.3 percent.

Cramer wanted to learn more about its prospects, so he welcomed CEO Nick Akins onto the program. Check out the video to see video of the full interview.